GOP Legislator Plans Election-Related Bills

One of the Republican leaders in the Missouri House plans to file a package of election-related measures when next year’s regular session begins in January.

The measure will include a bill requiring that voter-approved laws cannot be overturned by a simple majority vote by lawmakers.

Take, for example, the state minimum wage hike, which 76 percent of Missouri voters approved five years ago. House Speaker Pro-tem Shane Schoeller says under his bill, such a law could only be overturned if more than 76 percent of House and Senate members voted to do so:

“Within the rules of the House and Senate, especially the Senate, that would be a very hard obstacle to overcome, and that’s probably good because the voters spoke very clearly on that issue,” Schoeller said.

Schoeller says at the same time, it would not create an undue burden for opponents of ballot questions that were narrowly defeated, namely, last year’s dog breeding initiative. He’s also planning to file yet another bill to require photo ID at the polls. Schoeller is also running for Secretary of State next year.